Tyler Dunne takes over JLM 312

I knew I wanted to do this assignment on Tyler Dunne when it was announced he would speaking. I did not know of Dunne until he joined the Buffalo News as a part of their bills coverage. He was a breath of fresh air into the sports section that includes many writers that have been there for decades. His style was something I had never seen before and I always enjoyed his stories.

That is when I found out that he was a native of Ellicottville. To see a young local WNYer make it like he has was truly inspirational. It was sad to see him leave The News after just one season but I knew he was bound to do even better things. He has and now the chance to hear from him in person was something I highly anticipated and it sure was pleasure.

You can tell when Tyler walks in the room he has no problem with being around new people. He adapts well to his surroundings and his way of talking to college students makes himself seem very relatable. I guess you say being on our side of 30 helps.

His features are some of the best in the nation and being able to hear from him on how he goes about making these masterpieces was very interesting. Dunne seems like a man that is always putting in the extra work, always looking for another angle, another voice, another perspective. When he talks about how he usually has about 30 sources a story, that’s something that takes so much work and dedication and Dunne shows he’s able to handle it.

It was also interesting to see how he handles the locker room. He referenced how beat writers all circle together and there is not close interaction with the players. But he goes up and as he says shoot the bull with them. It’s his way of making the players feel comfortable around him so that if they have something big on their mind they may be more likely to tell that to him. Or just be able to help with any type of story he’s going to do. He’s developed a great balance of getting scoops that no one has ever had while also developing the story methodically.

His confidence is also something you can pick up right away. When someone asks what’s some of your worst interviews, he can’t think of any at mind. Now some may say that’s him being a little cocky but I believe it’s the truth, he’s the type that never has bad conversations. He’s just a very easy person to talk to, and he uses that to his advantage in his line of work.

Tyler Dunne came from small beginnings, covered the NFL in the two smallest markets to now where he is a national writer. He’s accomplished so much in such a short time. What he does next and how the rest of his career unfolds will truly be fun to watch and being able to say I got to hear him speak in my class in college will be something I will truly remember.